Jeyson, Stephanie, Elijah, & Audrey

Jeyson, Stephanie, Elijah, & Audrey

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Change of Plans

About a week ago we got official word that our year is going to be MUCH different than we had thought. Why? We're being sent by our mission to the States.

Here's the basic details:

Who: Jeyson, Elijah and me
What: We will be working with a partner organization called MMS Aviation (Mission Maintenance Services). Day-to-day Jeyson will be doing a lot of what he does here every day...working on mission airplanes. The only difference it won't be for Asas planes, it will be for mission airplanes from all over the world! They are sent to MMS for preparation to go to the mission field and major overhauls.
Where - A small, country town called Coshocton, Ohio
When - July 1 through mid-December in Ohio and hopefully a little extra time before and after with family on the west coast.
Why - The mission has seen that Jeyson is a talented mechanic and wants to invest in him to make him even more of an asset around the mission. At MMS he will do much more in-depth maintenance projects than he does here in Anapolis and he will hopefully be able to come back to Brazil even better equipped to serve and pass on these new skills to others.
How - How am I feeling about all of this? Let me show you in a picture....
I. Am. Overwhelmed!!!

On one hand I'm super excited. After what will be about 4 1/2 years serving in Brazil (counting furlough time) I'm excited about mixing things up a little and us getting to have a new experience. I'm also excited for my family to all meet Elijah and get to have a few months in the same country as them (though still quite far for most of the time). We're excited to follow God into the unknown and see what it brings. We have no idea what to expect and it will be an adventure to find out. Of course we're also excited for this very unique opportunity for Jeyson to get this advanced training. The chances of this all working out again at another point are very slim, so we're excited for all that's going to happen.

On the other hand, I'm oh so loving my little nest here and routine with my four month old baby and I dread the thought of leaving it. We don't even have a crib lined up to borrow while we're there yet! When I think about leaving the cute nursery we set up...I confess I get quite sad! It's not really about the nursery, it's just the security and comfort and the KNOWN. I have also grown to really like where we're at and I will miss the friends, ministry opportunities, and so much more. (I suppose that is a good sign that I'm adapted to Brazil if I'm uncomfortable returning to the States!! :) Also, I am a little nervous to go to a town where we literally only know one family (also from our mission who are going to be there at the same time and opened up this opportunity for us). So scary to know (almost) not a soul. I am afraid of being lonely for 6 months.

And then there are the logistics we have to figure out in the next the next 2-3 months. I am OVERWHELMED!!! I can't stress that enough. Here are the major things on our minds:

A car to use while in Ohio - we have nothing figured out that could work yet.
Tickets - We haven't bought them yet and haven't found any great deals.
A family to stay in our house while we're gone. - We THINK we might have this solved, but there are still some complications.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg of the to-do list. So, please be praying for us! We will keep you up to date as things unfold.

6 comments:

Sarah said...

wow! definitely praying for you all as this is a HUGE change in plans! I love Ohio :-) I think my parents live about 3 hours from where you'll be. Keep us posted on your plans!

Danielle said...

This really is such a huge change and I can only imagine your array of emotions. Of course selfishly I'm so excited that you'll be "in the neighborhood"! It's so sad that we haven't met each other's babies yet!

Susan M. said...

Wow! Big changes, but remember the Lord goes before you and will provide all you need!! Deuteronomy 31:8!

Susan M.

PS - if you get to NJ, please be sure to stop at Keswick! :-)

Rena Jarboe said...

We look forward to your arrival. You will find the MMS family very welcoming and supportive. We are here to help. All are looking forward to meeting you :)

Caroline Fisher said...

I am one of the wives at MMS and my name is Caroline . I look forward to having you here this summer and into next year. I have a 20 month old daughter and a 3 year old son. I just wanted to let you know if you need any baby things at all toys, play pen, clothes, bottles, bottle rack, ect... I have it all and it is at your disposal if you need it. My kids are getting older and are moving away from the baby things. Also, don't worry about not knowing anybody after you get here you will join the other wives in meetings and training probably and we are fun group to be with. Can't wait to meet you via person.

Celia Linkleter said...

Hi Jeyson and Stephanie,
I'm Celia, I just wanted to say 'hello'. Like Caroline, I'm an MMS wife, we are with MAF and my husband is training here. We came here last September and have just about 'found our feet', though the language is a bit strange (we're English). If you need to know anything in advance of coming, just give us a shout. We may not know the answer, but we can probably find someone who does. We also stayed at the house you will be in when we first arrived, so if you need to know about that I may be able to help.